Are We Looking to Signs or the Savior?

EMAIL QUESTION RECEIVED:

“What do you think of Matthew Crouch’s ministry on TBN? Also is John Hagee preaching scripturally?” Susan

REPLY:

Hi Susan!!! How are you sister? Hope all is well in your life and family in Christ.

TBN logo is a combination of the Rothschild’s Coat of Arms and the Masonic logo. Inverted dove is extremely Masonic.

Well, regrettably the whole TBN was founded upon greed and has the spirit of antichrist behind it as perhaps do most ministries today in this late hour (Matthew 24:11, 24; 2 Timothy 3:13; 1 John 4:1-3, etc.). Matthew Crouch is just carrying on with what his parents and the other parade of charlatans began many years ago. It’s unclean in my opinion due to its foundation which has never been acknowledged or repented of. If a ministry (those who operate it) truly repents, there will, without fail, be a public admission and confession of such. Those running TBN now are building on a dirty foundation. False teaching, multi-millions of dollars in unnecessary real estate – money taken from its donors and misused, hateful and murderous speech by Paul Crouch and Benny Hinn and others of their conspiracy (Ezek. 22:25-27) against the watchmen who were and do expose them (see youtube videos for this) … they also are in bed with the Roman Catholic church which tells you right there who they are – they are of the antichrist kingdom (against Christ, counterfeiting/pretending to be representing Him while misrepresenting Him …. compare the life and financials of Jesus and His apostles and prophets to the lavish riches of TBN, Rome, Salt Lake City, Mecca, etc.  TBN is an empire worth millions upon millions of dollars – monies that were obtained from gullible donors by manipulation through their scam-a-thons, etc.. They have a never ending parade of false teachers leading the masses astray and have for many years. This is a part of the great falling away no doubt. They play a key role in it.

DID JESUS have a Vehicle, Bed, or a Bunch of Money? Dare to Compare the Life of Jesus and His Holy Apostles with the Lavishly Rich Clowns of Today’s Apostate Modern Church Circus

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” 2 Peter 3:17

What the Bible Tells Us about Wolf Conspiracy

Wealth Wasted on the Worship of Self |  John Hagee Examined

It appears to me, after many years of observing people like John Hagee and Perry Stone, etc., that they could be just like many other false leaders we were warned about who are also making merchandise of God’s people. They are constantly peddling their wares using end times teaser titles and themes, promising that asteroids and other phenomenon are or may be hitting the earth. Usually nothing ever happens. So, they are distracting and drawing away the heart affections of millions, one contrived hyped up gimmick at a time. Have these signs and wonders in the heavens truly come to pass? Or, are they using these things, one after the other, to keep the hearts of their audiences suspended, distracted from Christ, and thereby misleading them and wasting of God’s resources? What spirit would be behind something of this nature? Yet this sells books and materials and makes them and their ratings soar. Am I missing something here? When are we going to stop and get honest? When are we going to stop and say: “Wait, the last thing he was focusing on and selling books on didn’t happen and surely didn’t draw my heart closer to Christ. It sure didn’t prepare me to do “the work of the ministry” which all who servant lead are to be doing (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Are men like this using sensationalistic tactics to exploit their audiences? Is what they are doing following the apostolic instruction and model of preparing/equipping Christ’s saints to DO “the WORK of the ministry” or is it perpetuating bystanders who do nothing for Christ as they sit on the sidelines watching a minuscule “few” do His work? And, they feed their resources to the wolves who tickle their ears by writing these bestseller books which over emphasize signs while neglecting the Savior. The Bible gives the New Testament model of Goers and Senders – every believer participating (Romans 10:14-15). Is this what Jesus had in mind for His New Testament church – to sit around watching His enemies and be exploited by them and then go to the air conditioned building called “church” on Sunday morning? Is that what Jesus had in mind for His people? Where’s any of this in the Word? Chapter and verses please if one dare waste his time looking for such in the Bible.

Yes there are signs given in Scripture but this is no license to neglect the Savior and preparing to meet Him.

To follow Jesus is to do what He modeled and sent us to do. Right?

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples (does that include you?), The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38

Those who love Jesus care about and participate in “the harvest,” the Great Commission command He gave us. Those who know and follow Jesus are about their “Father’s business” of catching fish/men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 2:49). There’s no getting around this truth friend. Instead of getting upset with the mere messenger, you may wish to take this to the LORD, beginning prostrate – on your face in repentance. When you go before the LORD in utter sincerity of heart, driven by the conviction of sin, you will lay down your life, holding nothing back from the One who gave you life, He will then raise you up to do His will and you will no longer be your own (Luke 22:42).  You will be daily crucified with Christ, crying out with John the Baptist “He must increase but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) You will then begin to live a 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 life.

Some would observe that: Instead of doing the real Gospel, TBN and its parade of beguilers have created a whole generation of lukewarm armchair slobs and slugs who sit back in their lazy boy chairs to be entertained by their favorite sensationalist sign seeking circus leaders.

Have these guys made an industry out of this?

Have they made millions off of this?

Have they tapped into the desire of an unrepentant sign seeking generation and thereby scored millions of dollars?

Are We Looking to Signs or the Savior?

Do many of these modern prophecy teachers not spend the vast majority of their time in sensationalistic speculation on signs that might perhaps happen and how and when, etc.? Compare that to Jesus who warned:

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Revelation 16:15

Blessed is He that Watcheth (audio)

Jesus says:

“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.” Luke 17:20-24

The Greek word from which we get the English word “observation” is parateresis and it’s defined as inspection, that is, ocular evidence or hostile watching. Isn’t it time we begin to examine if we are over engrossed with physical signs of Christ’s return? Could the LORD be quickening our hearts to truly repent and do what He sent us to do? Just what good, Christ-glorifying fruit has ever been produced in our lives by running after and being preoccupied with signs in the heavens? Should we begin with repentance? Should we ask Him to forgive us for our evil idolatry – how we’ve looked away from the Savior to signs?

Are these so called “prophecy teachers” not guilty of drawing away the hearts of men from “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”? (Hebrews 12:1-3) Is this what Jesus was speaking of here in verse 23 when He warned us: “And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them”? Then Christ tells us that no one is going to miss it when Jesus returns – whether they like it or not (much less His children)! “For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.” (v24)

Notice here in this dialogue we have on record in Luke 17 that it was the hell bound, self-righteous PHARISEES who demanded and were preoccupied with “when the kingdom of God should come.” No it wasn’t godly but ungodly religious leaders seeking this information and preoccupied therein. Instead of simply being busy about their Master’s business, they were wise in their own conceit, seeking signs.

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7

In light of this truth, is it not our spiritual state that the LORD wants us to primarily steward and to tend to? And as our hearts are being purified and our garments of His righteousness washed afresh of any stain of sin, “THEN will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalms 51:10-13)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” Psalms 51:10-13

I’m convinced that many if not most of those today who are preoccupied with signs will not even be in Heaven with Jesus. Could it be that the whole root motive of sign seeking is coming out of the worship of self? Surely the root isn’t coming from the LORD. We know that by what He tells us in His Word. Yet, in their straying into sign seeking, their hearts have left their “first love” and they are not ready to meet Jesus who is coming back for a church that is “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”(Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 2:1-5)

Here’s the passage from which this is taken:

“…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27

Specifically speaking of the great signs that will be on the earth in these final days, Peter warns us to “be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” Do we see these modern prophecy teachers spending time and effort warning the people to make sure they are “without spot (no unconfessed sin), and blameless”? Okay here’s the passage this is found in:

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:10-14

Many today who once had a zeal to help others be found of Christ and saved into His eternal kingdom, have waxed cold in heart and no longer support or do the Great Commission (prayer, resources, etc.). Most ironically, the sign seekers themselves are casualties of the foretold sign of the great falling away (2 Thessalonians 2). If you are or know someone like this, please take time to ask the LORD to recapture their hearts for Him and return them to their first love (Revelation 2:1-5).

What is the prerequisite to being anointed by Jesus to win souls into His blessed kingdom? A “clean heart”! Amen LORD! Please do it.

WHO is Going to “See God” According to Jesus? Which one of the 2 statements below are from Jesus? You’d better open God’s Word for yourself to find out. Don’t trust me. Make sure by putting your own eyes on His words.

A. “Blessed are those who monitor signs in the heaven for they shall see God.”

OR

B. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:6

If you really love Jesus, obey Him – lay down your life and pray for Him to use you. Obey Him by going to speak His Word to a lost sinner today. Hand out some soul winning Gospel tracts. If the signs are showing His soon return THAT SHOULD ALL THE MORE SPUR US ON TO WIN SOULS IN THIS LATE HOUR BEFORE HIS RETURN, RIGHT?

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16

“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:19-21

In their daily personal life, we should wonder and ask when’s the last time Perry Stone or John Hagee led someone to Jesus. If they were soul winning themselves, they’d be teaching their audiences to do such. That’s just joy that cannot possibly be contained. If these men were truly excited about Christ’s return, they’d be busy about His “Father’s business” which is winning lost souls into His eternal kingdom before it’s too late. No instead they are only concerned about themselves and those who watch and support them. Think about the self-serving, self-absorbed mindset of being enthralled with signs and wonders and how that means I (ME ME ME ME) and getting out of here soon – instead of being concerned for the eternal souls of others. Isn’t that the definition of “the mind of Christ” as revealed in Philippians 2? If those men were truly worshiping Christ in their personal lives, it seems that the mission of Christ would be what their ministries were and it’s not. Jesus spoke of the signs of the last days but He never intended for this to be the whole theme of any ministry. It certainly wasn’t the whole theme of His. It was only one component. Besides giving us His Great Commission mandate at the very end of each of the 4 Gospels, Jesus also taught us to “Go.” “Go” is the very first part of “Gospel.” If we truly have the Gospel, we go. Jesus says that if we truly are following Him, we are becoming “fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17)

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” John 4:34-38

There are people who get upset with me for upsetting their little urbanite, Laodicean, hell bound, American “Christian” fairytale. Yet, what is there to lose … other than their souls?

If we truly follow Christ it will be on His terms and not our own that we’ve adopted and learned from a corrupt, apostate church world which was promised to be in this final hour.

Now I know this seems so harsh but if you could hear my voice, it’s not in a condemning tone at all. This just seems to be the facts that can be observed and yet I am open to sharpening and correction if I have misread what I am seeing in these matters.

One of the sad things about this whole scenario is the fact that the beguilers get all the money and the true watchmen, which Jesus says are “few,” suffer complete poverty in most cases (Matthew 9:35-39).

In my limited opinion, Stone and Hagee, if they truly were possessed by the mind of the unchanging Christ, they would be doing everything they could to obey Him in His Great Commission command, not using signs and end time prophecy to make a personal profit. Read 2 Peter 2:1-3. Instead, it seems that they use the great theme of His return to make a profit from so many as they mislead them and intercept and rob the heart affections, energies, and resources from their audiences. We shall give account for how we’ve represented or misrepresented the true LORD of glory. Are some of these TBN preachers just glorified panhandlers? Also, there is so very much in the New Testament Scriptures about being “ready” for Jesus’ soon return and little time or attention is spent doing what Jesus and Paul repeatedly warned of … being personally “ready” for His return at all times, having/allowing no stain/spot of sin to defile the white robe of His righteousness He robed us in when He saved us.

ANY “ministry” that is not fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission mandate and teaching others to do the same (Ephesians 4:11-12), is a false ministry.

Was Jesus, were His apostles Paul, Peter, or John preoccupied with signs? No. They spoke of and gave signs yet never intended for God’s people to waste the brief lives He’s given them on earth frantically or hysterically or with amusement looking after the signs. Where are all those people going to be when “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:26) Think about this: If all I do is spend my time on looking after signs in the heavens, I am not prepared to be nor being used by God to “seek and to save that which was lost” which is Christ’s mission (Luke 19:10). Jesus has not changed, nor has He retracted His mandate for us to preach and teach His Word to those around us. We shall stand before Him to be judged for what we did and did not do (Matthew 25:40-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10, etc.).

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” Matthew 12:38-42

In Jesus’ answer here, the only sign that was to be given was of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God. Now, has that sign happened? YES! So, let’s go preach that Jesus died, was buried, and raised again from the dead just exactly as the earliest believers did in obedience to the One they truly knew, worshiped and truly served as we read of in the book of Acts!!! Amen! That’s the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Perhaps the Holy Spirit would quicken the reader’s heart to read this book of Acts and pray for the power of the Spirit to use them (acts 1:8; 8:4; 17:6, etc.). The adventure continues for those who will truly lay down their lives in this late hour (Daniel 11:21; 12:3).

Think about it: Some of these guys’ books are on the New York Times Best Seller’s list. Doesn’t that tell us that these books that cater specifically to the sign seekers reveal that it’s “an evil and adulterous generation” that is flocking to buy their copies of this book? Is it this “evil and adulterous generation” of sign seekers and followers that is making ministries like this to be worth millions?

“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist (knew) ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Luke 2:49

What is the humble, authentic disciple of Christ busy about in this late hour? Looking for signs? Sitting on his fat, Laodicean fanny waiting to watch the next sensationalized John Hagee or Perry Stone TV show and continue to be one of the exploited? No, they are busy about the Father’s business – the same soul winning business Jesus came to do and sent His true disciples to do (Luke 2:49; Mark 16:15-20; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:47). They refuse to be drawn away from beholding the face of their beautiful LORD and doing His work (Zechariah 9:17). They “do KNOW their God” and therefore they “do exploits” – the exploits He commissioned us to do (win and disciple the souls He bled and rose again to capture for His eternal kingdom.

Have these guys made an industry and a fortune by catering to the “evil and adulterous generation” that spend/waste their time seeking asteroids and blood moons and other signs in the sky instead of putting their hand to the plow of what Christ sent His people to do? (Matthew 12:38-39; Luke 9:62) Are millions being misled? Are they being led to worship at the altar of the false god of self?

For the record: I am not insinuating that these men don’t preach some good biblical truth. Yet as with any mere man (beginning with this fool), all that is taught must of necessity be weighed in the balance against the full counsel of Holy Scripture. Also, remember that the most effective deceptions are surrounded by truth. It has been stated that “Satan will drown you in a ton of truth in order to kill you with one ounce of poison.” Speaking specifically of false doctrine, Paul says that it just takes “A little leaven (to) leaven(s) the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9)

We have a Bible so we therefore have NO excuse to be deceived. In the end, if we die deceived and misled, it’s all over and it’s all OUR fault. Again, God gave you His Word in tangible, print form and if you are spending the time He gave you in this brief life following and funding His enemies, you yourself are His enemy and will spend eternity in hell (2 John 7-11; 2 Peter 2:1-3).

“For MANY deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed (don’t help, endorse, or fund): 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” 2 John 7-11

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